Produced in 1984, the world of The NeverEnding Story came to life. A troubled young boy who has just lost his mother finds a quiet, seemingly unused bookstore while hiding from boys who bully him. While in this bookstore, Bastian stumbles upon the owner, and a very mysterious book. Cleverly disguised as a man who refuses to lend out the book, the librarian leaves the room, knowing Bastian will not be able to stifle his curiosity. Once opened, the NeverEnding story begins.
Before Bastian can grasp this paradoxical reality, he is thrown into a strange and unrealistic world. Little does he know, he is reading his own story. Continued reading of the mysterious book brings him into clues, and suspicions about the occurrences in his world, and the occurrences within the book.
The further into the Never Ending Story Bastian gets, the closer the end, the Nothing, comes to destroying all of the mysterious, magical world of Fantasia.
Following along on the arduous journey Bastian meets Atreyu, the young warrior sent to find the cure to the Empress’s illness. Bastian’s emotions are reflected in Atreyu’s, making the journey and task to save Fantasia even more emotional and difficult, knowing the death of the Empress is the death of Fantasia.
While Bastian’s imagination fuels the storyline of the book, and lives of the characters, his own reality becomes apparent. As he grows, he gradually loses his imagination and faith in magical and fantastical worlds. Once realization of his own part within the never ending story, Bastian is faced with the simple task of renaming the Empress in order to save all of Fantasia. Being placed in front of the Empress herself within the story, Bastian tells how he must “keep his feet on the ground”, specific orders from his father. After being begged by the Empress, Bastian complies and calls out the name of his mother, the new name of the Empress.
Questioning his faith and reality, Bastian waited nearly too long, and all that remained of Fantasia was a grain of sand.
Placing the grain of sand in Bastian’s hand, the Empress requests that he build Fantasia once again by wishing for anything he wants. With each wish, growing faith and imagination, Bastian rebuilds Fantasia and those who once lived within his world.
Philosophy, you say?
Through the obvious struggles of the story’s main character Bastian, we interpret ourselves in a sense. What does our imagination really create? What can it destroy? Does ‘growing up’ necessarily mean throwing away our childhood thoughts and daydreams? In The NeverEnding Story, this is presented, and Bastian tells all.
Through what means does our imagination exist? Creativity strikes imagination, igniting our own worlds of pleasure and happiness. It is suggested in the movie that lose of imagination and creativity, the Nothing, destroys our imaginations as a whole. But what is our imagination composed of? If it is something we can not hear, see, smell, touch, or imagine any other but our own, does it exist? Was Bastian living in his own ‘world’, or is imagination and mind real? Imagination may be considered a part of our consciousness by some, and non-existent by others. As described by Edmund Husserl’s theory of phenomenology and intentionality, our thoughts are made of ‘something’ outside of our control. Necessary truth may be used to counter-argue the prevalence of imagination, and considering it is an aspect away from our personal bodies it could be considered a ‘flaw’, so to speak, of our conscious and unconscious.
The true root of imagination depends most importantly on a subjective path. If you personally believe you have an ‘active imagination’, and use it frequently, you are more likely to consider it an existent form. If you are someone who is more ‘grounded’, your imagination beliefs may sway to unconscious psychobabble. Considering The NeverEnding Story, Bastian experiences both in body, and out of body mental experiences. Would you consider that a real or disillusioned imagination?
ps- i hate wiki, nothing uploaded or pasted the way i have it in word. i hope the pictures are enough "flare" to get me decent points, figuring out colors and different fonts didn't work for me. not quite computer savy.
Solomon, Robert C.. Introducing philosophy: a text with integrated readings. 8th ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005. Print.
Philosophy and The NeverEnding Story
Nicole Ackerley
Produced in 1984, the world of The NeverEnding Story came to life. A troubled young boy who has just lost his mother finds a quiet, seemingly unused bookstore while hiding from boys who bully him. While in this bookstore, Bastian stumbles upon the owner, and a very mysterious book. Cleverly disguised as a man who refuses to lend out the book, the librarian leaves the room, knowing Bastian will not be able to stifle his curiosity. Once opened, the NeverEnding story begins.
Before Bastian can grasp this paradoxical reality, he is thrown into a strange and unrealistic world. Little does he know, he is reading his own story. Continued reading of the mysterious book brings him into clues, and suspicions about the occurrences in his world, and the occurrences within the book.
The further into the Never Ending Story Bastian gets, the closer the end, the Nothing, comes to destroying all of the mysterious, magical world of Fantasia.
Following along on the arduous journey Bastian meets Atreyu, the young warrior sent to find the cure to the Empress’s illness. Bastian’s emotions are reflected in Atreyu’s, making the journey and task to save Fantasia even more emotional and difficult, knowing the death of the Empress is the death of Fantasia.
While Bastian’s imagination fuels the storyline of the book, and lives of the characters, his own reality becomes apparent. As he grows, he gradually loses his imagination and faith in magical and fantastical worlds. Once realization of his own part within the never ending story, Bastian is faced with the simple task of renaming the Empress in order to save all of Fantasia. Being placed in front of the Empress herself within the story, Bastian tells how he must “keep his feet on the ground”, specific orders from his father. After being begged by the Empress, Bastian complies and calls out the name of his mother, the new name of the Empress.
Questioning his faith and reality, Bastian waited nearly too long, and all that remained of Fantasia was a grain of sand.
Placing the grain of sand in Bastian’s hand, the Empress requests that he build Fantasia once again by wishing for anything he wants. With each wish, growing faith and imagination, Bastian rebuilds Fantasia and those who once lived within his world.
Philosophy, you say?
Through the obvious struggles of the story’s main character Bastian, we interpret ourselves in a sense. What does our imagination really create? What can it destroy? Does ‘growing up’ necessarily mean throwing away our childhood thoughts and daydreams? In The NeverEnding Story, this is presented, and Bastian tells all.
Through what means does our imagination exist? Creativity strikes imagination, igniting our own worlds of pleasure and happiness. It is suggested in the movie that lose of imagination and creativity, the Nothing, destroys our imaginations as a whole. But what is our imagination composed of? If it is something we can not hear, see, smell, touch, or imagine any other but our own, does it exist? Was Bastian living in his own ‘world’, or is imagination and mind real? Imagination may be considered a part of our consciousness by some, and non-existent by others. As described by Edmund Husserl’s theory of phenomenology and intentionality, our thoughts are made of ‘something’ outside of our control. Necessary truth may be used to counter-argue the prevalence of imagination, and considering it is an aspect away from our personal bodies it could be considered a ‘flaw’, so to speak, of our conscious and unconscious.
The true root of imagination depends most importantly on a subjective path. If you personally believe you have an ‘active imagination’, and use it frequently, you are more likely to consider it an existent form. If you are someone who is more ‘grounded’, your imagination beliefs may sway to unconscious psychobabble. Considering The NeverEnding Story, Bastian experiences both in body, and out of body mental experiences. Would you consider that a real or disillusioned imagination?
ps- i hate wiki, nothing uploaded or pasted the way i have it in word. i hope the pictures are enough "flare" to get me decent points, figuring out colors and different fonts didn't work for me. not quite computer savy.
Solomon, Robert C.. Introducing philosophy: a text with integrated readings. 8th ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005. Print.